


Parenting Skills

by Cora_knight_of_breath



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, References to Addiction, References to Suicide, References to bullying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-19 08:49:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cora_knight_of_breath/pseuds/Cora_knight_of_breath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Both of Dirk's parents are dead. All he has left is his bro, who can barely even manage to fend for himself in the house. His bro, Dave, almost puts him up for adoption...<br/>But what happens when a change of heart keeps the young Strider in Dave's care?</p><p>[Rating and Warning may change as the story progresses. Right now it's just set up for what I have planned.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Choice

My name is Dave Strider.

I know I don't really have any business raising a kid. Really, I'm lucky I manage to feed myself breakfast every morning. So this is probably destined for disaster.

But I couldn't just ignore him.

He was all alone, crying desperately for the warm embrace of his mom. The only thing that would substitute for that would be the laughing voice of his dad.

But they're dead.

I don't know why she though she could support another child. She could barely support herself. It took me fighting her tooth and nail to get her to ditch the drugs during the pregnancy.

Shortly after Dirk was born, she relapsed on drugs. Died of an overdose.

His dad followed soon after. Suicide.

Now it was just me. His brother. Staring at the papers that could get him in a family that would actually care for him and raise him right.

But for some reason, my hand shakes. Yeah, I lost the shittiest parents I ever had. I'm glad they're gone. But what if Dirk ends up in a family just like ours was? How do I know that he ends up safe?

And, most importantly, what if I took this as a chance to prove that asshole wrong that I would make a better father than him?

With a sigh, I tossed the papers in the shredder, watching them vanish into confetti. I then went to where Dirk was sleeping and gently kissed his head. "Looks like you're stuck with me, kiddo."


	2. Growing Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave recounting the early years of Dirk's life, and an event that led to him learning just how little he knows about his younger brother.

I had no earthly idea why I thought raising Dirk was a good idea. He did nothing but cry, eat, and shit! It seemed like a waist of time. I spent the earliest years of his life trying to write movie scripts, but they mainly ended up about families as fucked up as ours. They were hits, of course. Not as big as SBAHJ, but nothing would be as big as SBAHJ. I had to accept that as people still bought the merch every day.

Slowly, Dirk quieted down. He found entertainment in anime as he aged up. He really seemed like a genuine dork. Half the time I called him "Dork Strider" just to mess with him.

He tended to come home with a few bruises. I figured it was from being a kid. Kids ran around and got hurt all the time, right? No big deal.

Well, they continued to show up all the way into highschool. I never thought it was that big of a deal until he came home one day during his sophomore year, struggling to hide a limp and covered in bruises that he desperately tried ot hide. 

"Dirk."

He turned his head towards me, a black eye peaking up from his triangle sunglasses. I told him they were dumb, and now they were his downfall.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

I grabbed his wrist as he tried to head past me. He winced, taking in a sharp breath.

"Who did this?"

"N-No one!"

I pulled him back, pressing him to the couch. In the blink of an eye, his shirt was off. His entire torso was covered in scars I had never known of. He had bruises covering his torso and under his arms. Some were larger, others were smaller.

"Dirk...what happened?"

"Nothing happened!"

I tored off his sunglasses, throwing them hard enough for them to smash into the wall. "Fuck that! Nothing doesn't leave people with black eyes!"

"Nothing happened! I told you!"

"Dirk Strider," I shouted, "you tell me who the fuck did this to you or you won't be walking for 6 months!"

He winced. We both knew that my voice never rose. It stayed level. The fact that I got to shouting point was threat enough for him. 

"Some kids at school," he finally muttered.

"How long have they been doing this?"

"A while."

My eyes widened. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"And get labelled as a tattle tale? Dude, no offense, but I don't have a death wish."

"You clearly do if you didn't tell me."

"Dave, it's no big deal! So what some kids beat me up sometimes? It's not like it's an every day thing. Just let it-"

"Don't you fucking  _dare_ tell me to let it go! I spent the last sixteen years of your life  _raising_ you! And to realize that you've been getting your ass kicked!? Imagine that for a moment, Dirk!  _Imagine_ it! The person you told yourself you weren't going to let get taken away! The person you said you were going to raise! The person you pretty muched vowed to protect! Imagine that person lying to your fucking face!"

I saw his jaw tremble. He was shaking, tears in his eyes. "Maybe I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react this way."

I let out a sigh, resting my head on his shoulder. "You're a handful. Always have been. They would've ended up pulling their hair out trying to raise you...but of course, I took on the role myself. Why I decided it was okay to do it alone, I'll never know. I just wish I could get you to tell me what's wrong once in a while...tell me 'Hey, Dave, some kids beat me up today.' Or, fuck, even saying, 'I want that brand of cereal' would be okay with me."

Tears leaked down his cheeks as he wrapped an arm around me. "You're talking about them again, Dave. You said you'd stop until you could tell me who 'they' are."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Jeez, what made me think I could ever raise I kid? I was a fucking idiot. Dirk didn't trust me enough to tell me. He couldn't bring himself to tell me anything. I was such a shitty parent...

Maybe I wasn't better than dad at after all.


	3. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave learns yet more about Dirk that he had thought to be true.

Dirk was pretty much bent on ignoring me since I learned about the bullying. He seldom left his room when home, and he flash stepped out of the house before I even saw him in the mornings. His absense led to me writing a new SBAHJ movie, which seemed to become an instant hit among my producers and manager and such. The actors eagerly started gathering to put it on. This led to me being out of the house most days, giving Dirk the freedom to go wherever he wanted during the day. He tended to go over to a friend's house some nights, so I used those nights to bring home someone. Each night was a different person, of course. I never have a stable relationship. I had enough of that with Rose. I wasn't going to risk a repeat of her.

Dirk would sometimes come in during the night when I was having "company" over, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. Why would he, I mean? It wasn't like it was odd to have a hot-shot sexy director have people of all genders eager to crawl into his bed. I was just giving them what they demanded.

One day, after driving my latest company over, I noticed Dirk outside a hotel. He was smoking, looking kinda tired. Last I checked, he never smoked. I was just gonna ask him about it, but then a blonde bimbo walked out of the hotel room he was outside of. She kissed his cheek, said something I couldn't hear, and walked off.

Jeez...how much did this fucking kid insist on hiding from me?

I pulled the car up in front of him, rolling down the passenger side window. "In. Now."

I could sense the alarm just be his posture. Shades didn't really do much to save him. He clearly had thought that I would never find out.

"I'm waiting, Dirk. Hurry up and get your ass in the car."

He knew he couldn't win. My flashstep was faster than his. I'd have him in a moment. So, he climbed in wordlessly. He smelled clean. He probably showered before heading outside.

I began driving, stopping at a cliff we used to visit to throw rocks down. No one ever came to it since a kid used it for suicide three years ago. I parked the car, unbuckled, and turned to ihm in my seat. "Since when do you smoke and have sex with people I've never even met?"

"I dunno. Freshman year?"

My jaw clenched slightly, my hands curling into fists. "Who the fuck would fuck you if you were a freshman?"

"Eighth graders are desperate. So are some freshman. Besides, even upperclassmen know hot when they see it."

"God damn it, Dirk!" I slammed my fist down on the middle console.

"Don't even start with me! You do it all the time! Are you gonna start being a hypocrite now?"

That stung, but I showed no sign of it. "What the fuck do you want from me, huh!? Yeah, I'm a shitty older brother. Totally fucked up raising you and probably set the worst examples I can! But that doesn't mean you just automatically start doing the same shit I do! Or, worse yet, smoking! Do you have any idea what that shit does to you!?"

"Yeah, I know. But here's the thing: you start once as a dare, keep going in hopes kids leave you alone, and eventually you're hooked!"

I slapped him straight across the face. "Don't you dare just talk about addiction so lightly! You have no idea what the fuck you're getting into! She started the  _same way_! And now she's fucking dead, and so is he, and I'm stuck raising a kid that I have no business fucking taking care of!" At this point tears are rolling down my cheeks. I want to stop, but I can't. "And you know what? I told myself, 'I'd make sure this kid doesn't end up as bad as they did! I'll make sure he's not fucking alcoholic and a druggie and just a complete waste of space! I'll support him and show him what a good kid should be like!' And look at you! You're becoming just like both of them in  _every fucking way_!"

His eyes grew wide. I knew I'd said to much. I never spoke of our parents. That was the golden rule I had told myself. Now here I was...breaking it.

"I...I didn't know," he whispers.

I sigh, turning towards the steering wheel and pulling my legs to my chest. I probably look like a fucking kid. "That was the idea."

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

We sat there in silence before I finally chose to speak up. "What did I do wrong, Dirk?"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Clearly I did. You're becoming just like them."

I turned towards him only to find he had set his shades on the dashboard. His orange eyes looked deep into my shades. He slowly, almost painfully, leaned forward and removed my signature shades, setting them on the dashboard. His orange eyes seemed to bore holes into my red ones. There was something that he wasn't saying.

Something he wanted...

"Dirk, just..."

He shook his head. "Dave, seriously. Stop talking."

"Not until you tell me...what is it I can do to make you actually tell me stuff? I can't just read your mind about these things."

"I know."

"So what do you want from m-"

I was cut off by the warmth of his lips on mine. My red eyes were wide, his orange ones were closed. I didn't dare press back, even though something dark and twisted inside me wanted to. This was my brother. He was sixteen. Underage and  _related_ to me. I wasn't about to do anything that could get me thrown in jail. Even if the feeling of his tongue wiping across my lips was almost enough to make me part them. Even as he slowly leaned closer, working to get as close as he could without climbing into my seat. Even as he-

Oh, fuck. I wanted him. I had to stop myself before this went to far.

My hands gently guided him back into his seat, breaking the kiss. He seemed deflated, like he had hoped for a reaction.

"Dirk...do you have any idea-"

"I know," he said suddenly. "I know I'm underage. I know you're my brother. But you asked what I wanted from you. So I showed you." He continued on as I stayed silent. "You asked me why I sleep with random people you've never met? Because I can't actually sleep with the person I want to. Because he's my fucking brother and is too concerned with his stupid image to actually give something out of the norm a chance!"

I sighed, turning towards the steering wheel and starting the car. I gripped it hard enough to turn my knuckles white. "It's just not that easy, Dirk."

I heard him mutter quietly, "Only because you make it so hard."


	4. Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dirk is determined to get what he wants from Dave.

So, Dirk spent a few days having nothing to do with me.

Finally, he hit spring break. His first day off, Saturday, marked our first confrontation.

"Dave, I think we need to talk."

I chuckled, pausing the t.v. It was just a SBAHJ marathon. I watched them over for ideas in writing. "Finally decided to acknowledge my existence?"

"I've been doing research on your right as a parent as well as other details. But before I tell you my findings...you have to tell me: what are your serious thoughts on me?"

I had always tried to push away any thoughts about Dirk in any way other than the way a parent should think of his kid. But man...that kiss brought back every thought I'd ever had. I didn't want to tell him about them, but I figured he had some sort of loop hole. If he didn't, why would he be here?

"I might have thought of marking you as mine once or twice." I hesitated. "Or more."

A small smile dashed across his lips briefly. "Well...if you were to indulge in these things, even with my consent, it would be illegal, as you probably know. Besides that, it's incest. Even more frowned upon. But, keep in mind that few people actually notice me at school, and you're so popular that people make up fake relationships for you every five seconds. Looking into that, my disinterest in having a relationship with anyone would be associated with the fact that I'm gay and all the guys in the school are assholes who constantly beat on me for being gay. No one would even know what your actual relationship status is since stars constantly have to fake relationships. You could be married for all anyone knows."

I nodded a bit as he spoke. He really had been thinking on this.

"Now," he continued, "so if you were okay with it...we could easily pull it off. We just keep our lips shut tight. Don't tell anyone."

I hesitated before speaking. "We could actually divulge in this, huh?"

He nodded. "And we don't have to actually consider ourselves together...I know you like bringing home random people from your movies. But-"

I couldn't let him continue with that sentence. I figured the best way to seal this deal was to press our lips together. So I did. Hesitation was present in him before he kissed back, but he was eager once he decided it was okay. I only let it last a moment, though.

"You're a complete idiot, Dirk. You really don't get why someone would fill his life with sex unless that person is you, huh?"

I watched as he registered what I meant. Then his jaw fell open. "You mean...you did it for the same reason?"

I gave him a small nod. "Yeah. I just kinda wanted to fulfill those thoughts of you."

Tears poured rapidly over his cheeks. In moments, his arms were wrapped around my neck, his head on my shoulder. He was happy...and so was I.

We had finally reached our compromise. No more secrets. No more surprises. Just us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's kinda short. It's 12:20, I wanna play with my new iPhone 4(finally! A phone that WORKS!), and my neck hurts.


	5. Sunday Sins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunday meets with a rather pleasant meeting

I had just gotten out of the shower. My hair was wet and my skin was hot as I left the bathroom, nothing but a towel wrapped around me. Dirk came in to ask me something, but he quickly froze when he saw me. I couldn't help but chuckled as I saw the small bump in his pants.

"What'cha need, bro?" I asked.

He swallowed, trying to calm himself. "I-I...u-uh...n-nothing. I forgot." He turned to leave, but I quickly had him pinned to the door, his back to me and my knee between his legs.

"Oh, what could this be?" 

"B-Bro, p-ple-" He was caught off with moans as I rubbed my leg against his crotch just right.

"How cute."

I released him and he quickly turned to face me, his face flushed red. He pressed against me, his lips smashing into mine. I instantly kissed back, remembering our deal. If he wanted this, then so be it. I wasn't going to take away something we both wanted.

Soon he had me sitting on the bed, though he was still standing as I rushed to remove his pants. He broke the kiss just long enough to remove his shirt. His lips instantly pressed back to mine, his hands trailing down my chest as his boxers joined his pants on the floor. He slowly climbed over me, and I found it adorable that he thought he could top. Sadly, I soon had him pinned down to the bed, my teeth tugging at his ear. He was moaning as I sucked, leaving various marks on his chest.

"D-Dave, oh, please, just fuck me already!" he moaned as he tugged to remove the towel wrapped around my waist.

Who was I to deny what my brother asked for after throwing such a hissy fit over it?

I pulled lube from under a pillow. He was clearly going to question its presence, but I had a finger slicked up and inside him before he could say anything. As I worked in two more fingers, using my mouth to occupy his, his hands trailed down, taunting my dick. I wanted him, and my dick made that painfully clear.

Soon, I couldn't stand it anymore. I slicked myself up and slowly slid inside him. 

"Oh, shit, Dirk, you're tight!" I moaned.

I bit into his shoulder to keep any more outbursts muffled. This ended up causing another moan to come from his lips, though. Oh, how I loved that sound. I loved how he moaned my name as I slowly thrust. He seemed ready to scream out as I went faster, using one hand to hold both of his away from his dick. He desperately wanted to touch it as I pounded into him, hitting his prostate with ease after only a few minutes.

"God, Dave!" he screamed out. I loved that sound.

Soon, his cum was splattered all over us. After a few more thrusts, he was screaming out as I filled him. Soon, we both came down from our orgasms. I slid out, resulting in a whimper at Dirk's loss. He cuddled close, panting.

"C-Can we just do that every day this week?" he whispered.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I think you'll get bored."

I sensed hesitation. "What if we try different kinks?"

I smiled a bit, trying not to think of just how sexy that would be. I didn't think Dirk was up to another round if I got another boner.


End file.
